SETH BAUMGARTNER’S LOVE MANIFESTO

Age Range: 14 & up

When Seth’s girlfriend dumps him during her lunch break at Applebee’s, he is not only heartbroken but totally grossed out: While Veronica squelches his dreams of love with nonsensical platitudes like, “I’m too comfortable with you,” Seth spots his father having an intimate meal with a sexy woman who is definitely not his mother. Oh, and then he gets fired. From a French-fry stand. Overwhelmed by his messy tangle of feelings about love, Seth records and uploads an anonymous podcast called The Love Manifesto. As his podcast grows in popularity, Seth progresses from utter dejection and know-it-all cynicism to optimism and a grudging acceptance that love isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. All the while, he is supported by his often absurd but deeply loyal best friend, Dimitri (a bit too strongly reminiscent of An Abundance of Katherines’s Hassan), and Dimitri’s charmingly no-nonsense sister, Audrey. Luper weaves together many themes—trust and secrets, lies and truth, love, lust and, of course, golf—in a way that even the most introspection-hating male reader will eat with a spoon. Derivative but supremely enjoyable. (Fiction. YA)